


Finding Your Place

by NikAdair



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: High School AU, club leader allura, gang leader lotor, keith doesn’t believe in friendship, new student hunk, new student keith, new student lance, until the crew shows him what friendship is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 07:19:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18361271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikAdair/pseuds/NikAdair
Summary: Keith is new at his school, and on his first day, he gets asked to join a club with some other new students. There, he meets Lance, Hunk, and Allura. A few weeks later, he meets Lotor, who isn’t who he seems to be. Will Keith join the crew? Or will he join Lotor and his gang?





	Finding Your Place

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for the [Voltron Big Bang](https://voltronbigbang.tumblr.com)  
> Art done by Totesunrepentant: [Amazing Art!!](http://totesunrepentant.tumblr.com/post/184007840010/she-turned-walking-back-towards-keith-come-on)  
> Beta’d by Max: [Maxie!!](https://voltronseatbelts.tumblr.com)

Keith stood outside the grey brick building, watching as students wearing varying degrees of nice clothes walked in – some paired up, others walking in large groups. He watched as backpacks of all colours and sizes moved past him, some with pins, others with keychains. The constant buzz of talking filled his ears, a cacophony of voices that overlapped, making it hard to discern any words. He caught names and places as people walked by him, but nothing he would – or needed to – remember.

As the crowd thinned out, he took a deep breath, steeling his nerves as he walked in. Despite having visited the school a week ago, it still seemed like a maze to Keith. He pulled his schedule out of his pocket, unfolding the paper to see where his first class was. Following students down various hallways, he finally found the right room, walking through the door as the bell rang. He flinched and noticed everyone watching him, some with curious looks, others with smirks as they eyed him.

Keith stood frozen near the door, feeling ready to bolt. He always hated meeting new people, and having to transfer to a new school his junior year was not on the top of his list of things he liked to do. It was quiet, the only sound the shuffling of papers from the teacher, who seemed oblivious to the fact that he was stood at the door. He finally looked up from his desk, seeing him, and he smiled, though Keith could tell it was a little fake.

“Ah! You must be our new student. Come here, introduce yourself!” his teacher said, walking over and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Keith didn’t have much choice in moving, and he was thankful his feet cooperated. Standing in front of the room was even worse than standing by the door had been. There, he’d had the chance to slip out and hide somewhere. Up here, he could only look out at the people, most of them bored looking now that the spectacle of Keith had worn off.

“Uh, hi, I’m Keith Kogane. I just transferred here last week,” he mumbled, keeping his gaze anywhere except the students. No one said anything, the only sound coming from bags being moved and desks squeaking as people got more comfortable. His teacher cleared his throat, telling Keith to find a seat, and he took one in the back near the window. As far from the other students as possible.

Papers were passed around – supplies lists, schedules, the class syllabus – while his teacher talked about what the class was and what the year would look like. Keith tuned him out, looking outside for most of class. He missed the warmth of the desert and the heat, wishing he could trade it with the clouds and cold he had now. He never understood why people liked this kind of weather.

The bell rang and the mass of students moved to their next class. Every class went the same – Keith making an awkward introduction, various papers being passed out, the teacher giving an overview of the class. The same monotonous stuff he was used to from the first day of every other school year. His day ended with study hall, and thankfully Keith’s homeroom teacher was okay with them having their phones out.

Keith was lost in his music and the book he was reading when his teacher tapped him on the shoulder, handing him a slip of paper. She walked back to her desk without saying anything, and Keith looked confusedly at the paper. _Come meet students like you! After school in room 117!_ He scowled a little, already fed up with meeting new people. But as the final bell rang and he got up to leave, his teacher came up to him, telling him he should go, though her tone made it sound like he didn’t have a choice in going.

He walked into the empty hall, taking slow steps towards his destination. His footfalls echoed off the walls, and he passed a few people as they left their lockers. As he got closer, Keith could hear people singing, and someone playing a ukulele. A door was open wide, and when he peered in, he saw two people dancing around while a third sat on a desk. All three sang loudly, sometimes laughing, sometimes just letting the only sound be that of the ukulele. Keith didn’t recognize the song, but he felt himself smile a little at the music.

He settled against the doorframe, watching the group. A tall dark-skinned girl with long silver hair that flashed in the light, a large dark-skinned boy with an orange headband wrapped around his head, and a tall lighter-skinned boy with short mousy hair. He was the one playing the ukulele, and Keith had to admit that he was pretty good at it.

They hadn’t noticed him standing there, and Keith thought he could just sneak away – no one would need to know he’d ever been there. But he didn’t get that chance. The silver-haired girl saw him and stopped dancing, bounding over to him with a wide smile. This caused the two boys to look over, and Keith felt like a deer in headlights.

“You must be Keith! I knew we were missing someone!” she said, stopping in front of him. She was taller up close, and Keith had to tilt his head a little to be able to look at her face. She stuck a hand out, and after a moment of hesitation, he took it, shaking it. She had a surprisingly firm grip. “My name is Allura.” Keith nodded, not really sure what to say.

Not that he had to say anything. Allura kept ahold of his hand and pulled him towards the two boys. “These two are Hunk– “ she gestured to the boy with the orange headband, “ –and Lance.” She gestured to the boy with the ukulele. Hunk smiled and waved at him, and Lance hopped off the desk, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“Glad you could join us Keith, you’re just in time,” Lance said, smirking. Keith shrugged out from under his arm and took a step away, pulling his hand out of Allura’s grasp as he did. The three of them stood in front of him, looking at him.

“Just in time for what?” he asked suspiciously, eyeing all of them. Allura and Lance gave each other a mischievous look before winking at Keith. Hunk gave him a slightly apologetic look. He felt himself starting to take a step back towards the door, but was stopped as Lance and Allura took hold of his hands and dragged him further into the classroom. He tried to dig his heel into the floor, but they were much stronger than him.

Hunk disappeared into a closet, and Keith was dragged into the center of the room. There was confetti on the floor, and food off to one side of the room. On the other was a speaker system. Allura and Lance finally let go of him, and he spun on his heel to look at the door. They moved to stop his escape, and Hunk came back with his hands behind his back.

“Okay, seriously, what are you– ” He didn’t get to finish his thought as Hunk walked up to him. That apologetic smile was still on his face as he brought his hands out from behind his back, throwing confetti onto him. Keith shook his head, watching as flakes of colour fell from his hair. Small bits caught on the ends, and he swiped at them to get rid of them.

“Happy first day of school!” all three of them shouted. Keith narrowed his eyes a little as Allura walked over to the speaker system, pressing play. Music poured out of them, and Keith was tugged forward as Lance grabbed his hands, spinning him around. He tried to pull away, but Allura soon took Lance’s spot, and her grip was much stronger than his. He could hear Lance and Hunk laughing as they joined in – Hunk to one side of Keith, Lance on the other side of Allura, across from him.

The group spun in a circle, all half-attempting to dance with the exception of Keith, who tried to tug his hands free. Allura tightened her grip, and seemed to start spinning them faster. Keith gave up on his escape attempts and rolled his eyes as he let himself be dragged. The song came to an end and, thankfully, Keith’s hands were freed, and he stumbled back, away from the group.

Allura walked over to him and draped an arm over his shoulder, and Lance walked over to turn the music down, it now becoming a low rumble in the room. “So, since all three of you are new, let me explain to you what this club is. We– ” she gestured to the four of them, “ –are the Voltron Club, a group of new students with varying ethnicities.” Keith crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

“The point of this club is to make sure students like us have people we can connect with and get to know.” Allura squeezed his arm a little, and he saw Hunk and Lance high five. He rolled his eyes again, ducking out from underneath Allura’s arm, avoiding her eyes as he stepped back.

“I, uh, need to meet up with my brother,” he mumbled, turning his head to look at the clock. Keith wasn’t lying exactly – he did need to meet up with Shiro, but he was at a soccer meeting, and that wouldn’t be done for at least another half hour. He looked back at the group and saw Allura nod.

“Then I’ll be quick. We meet every week after school on Tuesdays and pretty much just do whatever we feel like doing – games, movies, studying. I’d love to see you all here, but it’s definitely not a requirement that you come. I do have some pretty cool stuff planned for this year.” Keith nodded, tapping his fingers on his legs. He was getting to the point where he needed to leave, anxious energy starting to flood through him.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Can I leave now?” Keith asked, keeping his voice calm as his hands pat his legs. Lance shook his head, walking over to him. Keith looked up at him, aware that he was the shortest person there. He stopped in front of him and crossed his arms.

“I think it’d be a wonderful idea for you to be here, you seem like you could use the fun,” Lance said, tilting his head to the side. Keith narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, his hands stilling. He saw Lance’s mouth twitch into a smirk as he turned to Hunk. “Doesn’t he seem like he could use some fun Hunk?”

Hunk shook his head, raising his hands in defence. “I refuse to answer that because I know whatever I answer will be wrong. Leave the guy alone Lance. He’s not extroverted like you.” Keith looked at him, not entirely sure how to feel about that comment. It was true, he wasn’t extroverted, but he didn’t know how he felt about a stranger knowing that about him after only knowing him for fifteen minutes.

“That’s enough. Keith, if you need to go, you can. Otherwise you can stay here and hang out. We still have a while before we have to be out of the classroom,” Allura said, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder. Keith let out a breath of relief he didn’t know he’d been holding and nodded, turning to leave.

“It was nice to meet you guys,” he said, knowing he wouldn’t hear the end of it if he didn’t at least act polite to them. He grabbed his bag from where he’d left it and walked out of the room, hearing Lance laughing at something. He made his way down the hall, the laughter and music from the classroom growing faint until it was silent. He turned the corner and made his way to the library. It’s where Shiro had told him to meet him after school.

The librarian looked up at him as he walked in, but didn’t say anything. Keith made his way to one of the tables near the window, sitting and resting his head on crossed arms. The anxious energy he’d been feeling waned and left him and he felt drained. He pulled out his laptop and headphones, listening to music as he worked on some story he’d been writing. He wasn’t aware of the time, and jumped when Shiro tapped him on the shoulder.

“So how was the first day of school?” Shiro asked as he pulled out his headphones, sitting in the chair across from him. Keith closed his laptop, sighing, and Shiro chuckled. “That bad huh?” He groaned in response.

“Can we just go home? I’ve been around people for too long,” Keith mumbled, covering his face with his hands. He heard Shiro chuckle again and the chair move.

“Yeah, let’s go home.” Keith packed his stuff back into his bag, walking next to Shiro. “You still gotta tell me what happened today. That was the deal.” Keith groaned, shoving Shiro a little as they walked. Shiro draped an arm over his shoulder, and Keith couldn’t stop the small smile he had.

\---

It’d been weeks and Keith hadn’t gone back to the club since that first meeting. Both Hunk and Allura had tried to catch him between classes to get him to go, but he’d always make up some excuse about having school work or a family thing to do. It helped that Keith didn’t have classes with them, made it easier to get out of going. Lance, however, was a different story.

He’d walked out of his math class, hair all over the place from an hour of running his hands through it while trying to solve calculus problems. Why he’d always been good enough in math to be put in those classes, he’ll never know, but it was something he hated. Part of him wanted to intentionally fail the class so he would be put in an easier math class his senior year, but the anxious part of him knew that even if he tried, he’d end up freaking out and doing the work to get his grade back to where it should be.

Keith got to his locker, thankful that it was lunch and he didn’t have to go to a class. He shuffled his books around, trading his morning class books for his afternoon ones. He closed his locker and jumped when he saw Lance standing on the other side. He had his arms crossed as he looked at him, a look of displeasure on his face.

“Can I help you?” Keith asked, shouldering his bag. Lance stayed silent, his eyes narrowing a little. Keith shifted, getting ready to walk to the cafeteria. “If you’re just gonna stay silent, I’m gonna go. Kind of want to eat.” He took a few steps past Lance, stopping when he felt his bag being tugged. He turned to look at him, glaring.

Lance didn’t give him a chance to speak, pulling Keith back to where he’d been standing before. He stumbled and caught himself on his locker. Lance still had that look of displeasure on his face, and Keith was growing angry. “What the hell was that for?” Lance pushed off the locker, stepping closer to Keith, leaning down slightly to get in his face. 

“Why haven’t you been coming to the club?” Lance asked, his voice low. Keith could see anger filling his eyes, watching as they shifted from a bright blue to a darker one. He watched as his jaw clenched a little, as though straining to keep from yelling at him. Keith felt his own anger rising at this, and he balled his fists.

“Why do you care? I don’t want to be there, simple as that,” Keith spat, hearing his aggravated voice. He watched as Lance glared at him. “What is it with all of you trying to get me to go? Can’t you take a hint?” Lance’s eyes widened a little, and his movements were quick. 

Keith stumbled backwards as one of Lance’s hands shot out, grabbing the front of his shirt. He jerked forward, Lance’s face inches from his own. His eyes were dark, darker than they had been before. He could feel his breath on his face, puffs of air hitting him with every breath that Lance let out. His shirt was balled in Lance’s fist, keeping him from leaving.

“Did you ever think that maybe we actually want you there? That we like having you there? Did you ever think that maybe you should stop acting like a jerk for once and actually come see people who want to be your friend?” Lance’s voice was quiet, but there was a tenseness underneath it, as though he was keeping his voice in check. Keith glared at him, his hand grabbing Lance’s wrist.

“Did you ever think that maybe I don’t want friends? That I don’t need them?” Keith shot back, tightening his grip on his wrist. He could feel it flexing underneath his hold, and he tugged at it, trying to get him to let go. It did little for him, as Lance seemed to be holding his shirt tighter.

“Are you that much of a loner that you would seriously throw away people who want to be your friends because you supposedly don’t need friends?” Lance said, his voice rising. There was a slight echo as it bounced around the empty hall, and Keith narrowed his eyes, glaring at him.

“You should let go before you get hurt,” Keith said, tightening his hand. He saw Lance’s eyes widen a little at the threat, his jaw clenching. His calves were starting to burn from being held up like he was, and he could feel them starting to shake a little from the exertion. Lance held his shirt a second longer before letting go. The slight burn he’d been feeling went away, and he let go of Lance’s wrist.

Keith took a step back, fixing his wrinkled shirt. Lance was watching him, and part of him wanted to take a swing at him for grabbing him. But he didn’t, knowing that he’d only cause trouble. Instead, he glared at Lance as he turned around. “Do that again and I won’t hesitate to punch you,” Keith said, walking towards the cafeteria. He didn’t bother waiting for him to respond, nor did he bother to look back to see if he was following him.

He was seething, his anger boiling in his chest. Lunch was half over, and he really didn’t have an appetite anymore. Keith found a seat in the far corner of the cafeteria, throwing his bag on the empty table as he flopped into the chair. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself. “Patience yields focus,” he mumbled over and over to himself. It was something Shiro had told him, something he’d said would help him calm down and keep his emotions under control.

He took one final breath and opened his eyes. He hadn’t expected to see anyone sitting there when he opened them, and yet there was. A boy with a slight pale complexion sat across from him. He had long white hair, the top slicked back to lay flat against his head. It was longer than Keith’s, and yet, it didn’t make him look feminine. It fit him well. He had almost yellow eyes, the only thing keeping them from being fully yellow being the brown flecks that surrounded his pupils. Curiosity filled his eyes, as well as in the quirked smile he had.

He didn’t really know what to say to the boy, didn’t really like the fact that he was being looked at like that. The boy across from him seemed to catch on to his uncomfortableness and leaned back, smiling at him. It did little to relax Keith, but it at least took some of the anxious edge away. He kept his eyes on him as the mystery boy stretched a hand over the table.

“I saw you and that boy earlier. It really looked like you two were going to fight. I would hate to be on your bad side.” His voice had a strange lilt to it. It was quiet, a little raspy. There was something in his tone that seemed to be humour, but not quite humour. It was hard to pinpoint any one emotion in it, and it was kind of mesmerizing to listen to. “My name is Lotor.”

Keith blinked, looking away from the boy’s – Lotor’s – face down to his hand. He had a moment of hesitation, of uncertainty, before he reached forward and grasped it. It felt similar to how Allura had shook his hand – firm, strong – and he knew he couldn’t pull his hand away if he tried. He didn’t try, he didn’t have to. The handshake lasted a few seconds before Lotor pulled his hand away. Keith pulled his hand back, still watching him.

“My name is Keith,” he said carefully. Lotor tilted his head a little, as though thinking, and his smile grew a little more. Keith wasn’t sure why that had made him smile, and normally people like that would make Keith feel as though he should walk away. But something about Lotor kept him there. Maybe it was the peculiar appearance, maybe it was the lilt of his voice, or maybe it was just his own curiosity. Something kept him there, made him want to know what he was thinking about.

Lotor moved his chair back a bit, kicking his feet onto the table. “Keith, a fighter’s name, no doubt. Have you ever taking a martial arts class?” Keith shook his head. “Sports? Your physique alludes to something of that sort.” He shook his head again. The most he’d ever done as a sport was dance, but that wasn’t something he told people. They always made fun of him for doing it. It’s why it grew into more a hobby, something he did on the weekends when he wasn’t busy. But that wasn’t something Lotor needed to know.

“I go running sometimes, if that counts for anything.” Not entirely a lie, but not the full truth. It seemed to be a running theme for him. Lotor looked at him, nodding slowly. Keith felt like he was under a microscope, like Lotor was looking for something in him. He couldn’t place what it was though. He knew nothing about him. His clothes gave no indication as to what kind of person he was  – Lotor was in a graphic tee and a leather jacket, black ripped jeans and matching black converse. A similar outfit to something that Keith would wear. He didn’t spy a bag, but that wasn’t unusual for lunch.

“Running is good. Very good.” That comment made him a little uncertain, like maybe he should end the conversation. But Lotor seemed to sense that, raising his hands slightly. “Don’t get so scared Keith, I meant that as in it’s good you stay active.” He laughed a little, which threw Keith off. “Let me guess, new person asking such intrusive questions, not your cup of tea?” He nodded a little, not realizing he was until he had moved.

“I get that, believe me, I do. I promise I mean you no harm.” There was that lilt again, pulling him into the conversation regardless of what he wanted. “Have you found yourself some friends yet Keith?” Lotor leaned forward as he said this, resting his elbows on the table, folding his hands in front of him. A small part of him told him to lie and say yes, he had. But a much larger part of him knew that lying was pointless. If he said yes, he’d have to explain why he’s sitting alone, and that would involve lying even more. So he went with the truth.

“No, not really. I haven’t found where I fit in yet.” Saying that out loud made it more real that Keith really hadn’t found where he belonged, that maybe he wouldn’t find where he belong. It made something twist in his chest, and he looked away, down at his lap, where his hands were twisted together, knuckles white from how hard he squeezed them. He thought back to Lance’s words. Maybe he was right. Maybe he should’ve given them a chance at being friends.

Lotor pulled him out of his thoughts, that lilting voice dragging his attention away to him. “I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong, it’s hard.” Keith looked back up at him, the curiosity leaving that smile he had, replaced with something he couldn’t pinpoint. Hopefulness maybe? He didn’t know, and it bothered him that he didn’t know. He didn’t have much time to think though, that voice keeping his attention, making it hard to think about anything else. “But I found people that I fit in with. Maybe we can be your friends.”

It was a genuine proposition, Keith could tell that. A genuine request to be his friend. But he was still hesitant. He knew nothing about him, knew nothing about his friends, and he wasn’t much for making blind decisions without knowing anything. Lotor seemed to sense his hesitance, and he nodded, bobbing his head side to side. “You don’t have to answer now. How about you come hang out with us after school? Get to know them? Then you can decide. Does that sound fair?”

Keith bit his lip, torn between what to do. But that thing that had twisted in his chest decided for him, and he was nodding before he knew what he was doing. Lotor smiled at him, reaching out a hand as he stood. “I’ll meet you by the library then, and we’ll head over.” Keith took his hand, shaking it. “It was nice meeting you Keith. Hopefully you’ll decide to hang out with us.” Lotor let go of his hand, and he watched him recede into the group of moving students. Keith sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Today had been too weird for him, and it was only lunch.

\---

Keith waited a few minutes after his last class before going to his locker, wanting to avoid another confrontation with anyone. He had a feeling that Lance would be there, and he was right. He tucked himself behind a corner while he waited for him to leave, pretending that he was texting someone so he didn’t seem too out of place. He didn’t have to wait long. Lance checked his phone and sighed before he turned and walked away. Keith let out a sigh of relief and walked over to his locker.

He didn’t spend long there, just long enough to swap out class books for school work. He had an eagerness to himself that he hadn’t expected to have, and it was odd. Keith didn’t know why he was so eager; he’d never been this eager to meet new people. Maybe it was from the day he’d had, maybe it was because he wanted to find people that didn’t make him feel out of place. Regardless of what it was, he speed walked to the library.

Lotor stood outside the library, leaning against the wall, a few other people there with him. He saw Keith walking and waved, that oddly hopeful smile on his face. Keith felt himself smile a little, and he waved back. Lotor pushed off the wall, saying something that he couldn’t hear to the other people with him. He stopped a couple steps away, looking over at them.

“Keith, I’m really glad you made it. These are the people I was talking about it. This is Myzax, Prorok, Throk, Trugg, and Haxus.” He gestured to the different people as he spoke, each of them giving a various gesture of hello. Lotor turned back to them. “Guys, this is Keith. He’s the boy I was telling you about earlier. I think he’d fit in really well with us.” Something about the way he said that sent a shiver down Keith’s spine. The others smiled at him, not entirely pleasant, and he got the feeling that these weren’t necessarily good people.

He shook that feeling away, chalking it up to them being new people. As much as he liked to think it, he wasn’t the best at reading people. That’s what he told himself to push away the unease he felt. He forced a smile, waving back at them. Lotor turned back to look at him, something shifting in his eyes slightly. Just barely noticeable, the dimming of his eyes. Keith almost missed it, had he chosen to look anywhere but his eyes. But he didn’t. He saw that change, and that feeling of unease came back.

That easy going, somewhat hopeful looking smile was back, and that lilting voice was the only sound in the hall. “We’re headed to Trugg’s house, if you want to join us. I think we’re just going to hang out and watch some dumb movie she found.” Trugg nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. Lotor glanced back at her, and she bit her lip, looking away. He got the feeling that Lotor was the leader of this group, and that the others were a little scared of him. That unease was still there, growing slightly at what just happened, and Keith started plotting his escape.

“I’d like to, but I’ve got a project due in a couple days,” Keith said, hoping his voice didn’t betray the lie. He caught movement and saw Prorok stepping forward. He was taller than Keith by a good six inches, the mohawk he had adding a couple more inches to his height. He leaned over, looking at Keith. Keith took a few steps back, not comfortable with him being so close, nor with the fact that he seemed to glare at him.

“There’s no projects due. I’m in his classes.” His voice was gravelly, a stark contrast to the lilt of Lotor’s voice. It scraped against Keith’s ears, and he wondered how often Prorok yelled to cause his voice to do that. He winced, being caught in his lie. Lotor tilted his head at him, crossing his arms, a finger tapping along to some imaginary beat that Keith couldn’t hear. It made him nervous. The whole situation made him nervous, and he shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

Lotor looked at him, something detached in his eyes. Something manic in them. It scared Keith, made him anxious, made him skittish. His voice was a stark contrast to the look in his eyes, and it caught him off guard. “You wouldn't be lying, would you Keith? Cause lying to me would be a bad idea.” A shiver went down his spine, and he instinctively took a step back. Lotor followed him, taking a step forward, the rest of his group watching from behind. Watching Keith, tracking him. Like predators after a kill.

“N-no, I’m not lying. It’s not for school, it’s for m-my brother.” In his head, Keith cursed that he stuttered, cursed that he was letting his fear show. It was short lived, as his fear took over again, making him take another step back. Lotor was fast, faster than Keith thought he could be. He blinked, and suddenly Lotor was in front of him, inches from his face. He reached out and grabbed his arm, his grip almost painfully tight, and Keith looked up fearfully at him.

“If it’s just for your brother, I’m sure he’ll understand and let you have a free day. That’s what family’s for, right?” That manic, detached look never left, his voice never swaying from that lilt he’d had since he first started talking to him. Keith tried to pull his arm away, but Lotor tightened his grip. He winced tugging harder, unable to get away. A crazy smile slowly formed, and Keith knew he had to get away. He tugged again and again, but Lotor kept his grip, looking at him with that crazed smile.

Keith watched as Lotor looked up, his grip loosening a little. Not enough to allow him to pull away, but enough that he no longer felt like his arm was going to bruise. He turned to look where Lotor was looking and his eyes widened when he saw Allura walking their way. Her hair billowed out behind her as she strode, the clicking of her heels echoing throughout the empty halls. She looked mad, furious, and he tracked her gaze to find it landing on Lotor. Lotor looked less crazed, his smile diminishing to nothing. Allura stopped a few feet away, arms crossed over her chest as she looked at them.

“Well, if it isn’t Allura. When was the last time I saw you around. A few months ago? It has to at least have been since before school started,” Lotor said, mockery in his voice. A scornful smirk played across his lips, and Allura looked less than pleased to hear that, let alone see him. Keith could practically see the anger and hatred radiating off of her. He wanted to shrink back away from her, and he wondered how Lotor didn’t have the same instinct. He seemed fine standing there.

Allura’s eyes trailed from Lotor’s face down to his arm, glaring more at seeing him holding Keith. He gave a small tug, showing her that he was stuck, and sent a pleading look, silently asking for help. She gave him a small nod, looking back at Lotor. “I see you’re trying to get more followers,” she said, cocking her hip to the side. “Can’t you give it a rest? You’re turning into your father.” Lotor froze, and his hand fell away from Keith. He took a few steps away, backing towards Allura. It was clear that he was angry  – it was written all over his face. Allura walked forward, pushing Keith behind her.

“Did I strike a nerve? I’d feel bad, but I really can’t find it in myself to. You know, after everything he’s done.” Keith looked at her in confusion, but she shook her head, sending him a small smile. Lotor glared at them, a viciousness in his eyes. His hands shook, balled into fists at his side. He saw the others behind him, bristling but not moving. They were all looking at Lotor, as though waiting for instructions. He raised a trembling hand, shaking his head.

“You’re playing a dangerous game Allura. I don’t think you want to do this here.” Allura chuckled, stretching her arms over her head. She had a challenging smile, amusement glinting in her eyes. Lotor had malice in his, a snarl having replaced his smirk. His voice was dangerously low, a growl in it. It was predatory, malicious, and it raised goosebumps on Keith’s skin.

“If I remember correctly, it was you who went home licking his wounds last time we fought. Are _you_ sure you want to do this?” Lotor’s movements were quick, but Keith had enough time to step between them, taking the hit from him instead of Allura. Pain blossomed in his jaw, and he staggered back. A strangled sound escaped him and his vision blurred for a second from the pain. Lotor took a step back, looking just as confused as Allura did.

“Keith, what are you doing?” she asked. Keith clutched his jaw, tears springing to his eyes. He shook his head, looking at Lotor. Even though he was in pain, his anger had a stronger hold on him. His fear was gone, leaving him no longer scared of Lotor. He’d tried to hurt Allura. He no longer had anything holding him back. Keith took a step forward, intent on hitting him back, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Allura pulled him back, stalking forward.

“Allura, I’m fine,” Keith said, pain spiking in his jaw again. She didn’t listen, though, stepping close to Lotor. Despite his cocky facade, Keith could see the slight tinge of fear in his eyes. Allura may have been shorter than him, but he could see Lotor shrink under her gaze. That anger was there, of course it was still there, but there was fear and uncertainty mixing with it.

“You already made the mistake of trying to rope my friend into your little group. But to go so far as to threaten to hit me, to actually hit him? That’s the biggest mistake you could’ve ever made.” It was quick, an instant. She’d reached forward and grabbed his arm, turning and throwing him over her shoulder. He landed with an audible exhale of air, back arching as it hit the ground. The others started forward, anger radiating off of them, but one look from Allura sent them shrinking back to their spots.

Lotor laid there for a few seconds, gasping for air, his eyes wide. She walked over to him, leaning over his body. Keith watched as he struggled to look up at her, a pain filled glare being shot at her. Allura shook her head. “You’re pathetic, always living in the shadow of your father. If you want to do anything in life, find a new path, a new group.” She turned, walking back towards Keith. “Come on, let’s go get that jaw looked at.”

It was a quiet walk, Keith following after her. His jaw hurt with every step, the jostling movement causing him to wince. He tried to even out his steps, though it did little to help. Keith felt nervous, anxious, but he didn’t know why. Maybe it was because of the anger he could feel radiating off of Allura, or maybe it was because he knew where she was taking him. He wanted to say something, but every time he opened his mouth, his mind went blank.

He could hear music coming from a classroom down the hall, knowing she was taking them to the club room. Keith’s heart started to race, and part of him wanted to dart, to go home and not come back to school. He didn’t get that choice though. Allura stopped a few doors down, letting out a frustrated scream and turning to punch the wall. Keith jumped, freezing and looking at her as she breathed heavily. She pulled her hand back, shaking it a little and laughing.

“Allura? Are you okay?” Keith asked cautiously. She turned and gave him a small smile, nodding. It seemed like her anger was gone, like she’d calmed down, and it made him nervous how easily she could go from seething to almost cheerful. Allura reached forward, offering her hand for Keith to take, and he was hesitant, still wanting to bolt. But he pushed that away, hand shaking a little as he took her hand. Her hold was gentle, like she knew Keith wanted to leave and was giving him the option to. He squeezed hers, giving her a small smile, and took a step forward, towards the room.

They stood by the door for a minute, watching as Lance and Hunk danced and laughed to the music that was playing. It’d been so long since Keith had been there, and yet, it felt like he’d been there yesterday. He felt warmth spreading in his chest, a smile forming on its own as he watched. Keith felt Allura squeeze his hand, and he looked up to see her smiling at them as well.

They didn’t stand there long. Hunk saw them first, stopping to wave at them. Lance turned, his eyes going wide when he saw them. It made Keith look away, remembering the things he’d said to him, the fight they’d had. He heard footsteps coming towards them, and that feeling of wanting to dart was back. He instinctively took a step back, but Allura squeezed his hand again. Keith stilled, looking up at her. “He doesn’t blame you, you know. He wants you here, just like Hunk and I do. Stay, please.” Her voice was soft, gentle, calming. He looked up again, seeing Hunk and Lance standing there.

“Keith, what happened to your face?” Lance asked bluntly. Keith blinked and started laughing, wincing a little at the pain that flared up. He heard Allura laughing with him, and he saw Lance look at them in confusion. Keith took a few breaths to calm himself down. He coughed a little, wiping away the tears that had formed from laughing.

“It’s a long story,” he said, glancing up at Allura. His nervousness was back, and he hoped she could read it, hoped she would be the one to tell them what happened. She gave him a slight nod, letting go of his hand. He pulled it back, wrapping his arms around his chest. It felt safe there, standing with them, listening to Allura tell them what happened when she got there, everything that happened with Lotor. He felt safe, almost as safe as he did when he was with Shiro. He thought that maybe he could join them. Maybe he could be friends with them.

\---

The weekend had come and gone, and with it, the warm weather that had struggled to stay. Cold wind bit at uncovered skin, and the overcast weather brought with it the promise of rain. As it was, there had been a light drizzle all day, the damp air smelling of late fall, fog forming on car windows. Keith’s hair felt damp, the wind causing it to stick up at awkward angles, no matter how hard he tried to flatten it down. His cheeks were red, wind bitten, and his upturned collar did little to protect him from it.

A blast of warm air hit him when he walked into the atrium, and he stood there, letting it soak into his being. He sighed happily and shook his head, feeling his hair sticking to his face. Keith scowled and pulled his hair into ponytail, running his fingers through the knots that had formed from the wind. He pushed his bangs out of his face, feeling them flop back into place from years of having been there, and he sighed. He pulled his phone out, scrolling through his various notifications, and walked into the main hall, stumbling as he ran into someone.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he looked up, his eyes widening a little. He’d run into Lance, who had a sheepish look on his face. Keith was a little surprised to see him there. They hadn’t exactly been on the best of terms, and hadn’t exactly made up with each other since the previous Friday. He was confused as to why he’d be here.

“Don’t be. I, uh, was actually looking for you,” Lance said in a shy voice. Keith opened his mouth to ask why, but Lance started talking again. “Allura said Lotor is really… obsessive. He tried to get her to join his group when she first got her, and after she said no and walked away, he followed her for a few weeks until she got him to stop.” Keith wanted to ask how, but he remembered how she flipped him, and guessed that was how.

“I know you can probably handle him. I mean, you’re scary as hell when you’re angry.” Keith scowled at that, and Lance chuckled a little. “But I’d feel better knowing I can be there to help if you need it. Even if it is just running to get Allura.” He laughed again, and Keith caught himself chuckling.

“So, what? You want to be my bodyguard?” Keith asked, humour in his voice. Lance shook his head, looking at him with a bit of seriousness in his eyes. The last time he’d looked at them – really looked at them – they were a dark blue, filled with anger. This time though, his eyes were a lighter blue, clear, as though he were looking through water.

“No, I was wondering if we could be friends,” he said quietly, that shyness back. He looked away from him, and Keith could see the hesitation in his body language. A timidness that contrasted the bold personality he’d seen when he first met him, the anger he’d seen on Friday. He wondered if maybe the bravado was a facade for a much softer Lance.

He mentally shook his head, feeling his face heat up a little. Now really wasn’t the time for those thoughts. Keith looked back up to Lance’s face, seeing worry on it from him being too silent. He cursed himself and nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He could see the moment that Lance perked up – his head whipping to look at him, eyes sparkling, and smile creeping up on his lips. It was somehow endearing.

Lance opened his mouth to say something, but froze, looking over Keith’s shoulder. He quirked an eyebrow, turning to look over his shoulder. He couldn’t see anyone, there were too many people walking through the doors, but he could hear him. That voice, the one he hadn’t heard since Friday. It sent a shiver down his back. The crowd parted and he saw that familiar white hair swaying as he walked past.

Keith watched Lotor glance over at him, something unknown flashing through his eyes as they locked on his before he looked a little further up, eyebrows furrowing. He turned back to Myzax, listening to him talk about something that he couldn’t make out. The crowd swallowed him, and he turned back to Lance. His head was turned in the direction that Lotor had walked, glaring even after he was gone. He waved a hand in front of his face, and Lance blinked looking back to him.

“Sorry…” he mumbled, looking a little embarrassed. Keith smiled, laughing a little. Lance looked back at him, eyes narrowing slightly. “What’s so funny Kogane?” Keith shook his head, humming to himself before he turned on his heel and started walking to his locker. He could Lance sputter before he called his name, following him. “Keith, buddy, come on, you can’t just leave me wondering,” he whined, at which he smirked.

“Buddy? What’s next, pal? Comrade?” Keith said, laughing. He glanced over at Lance, seeing his attempt of a neutral face despite the smile creeping up. “Let’s just stick with Keith, okay?” Lance nodded, a good natured smile playing on his lips. Keith hummed and stopped at his locker. Lance leaned against the lockers on his left, watching as Keith pulled books out and dropped them in his bag.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just bring everything home and carry it around?” he asked as Keith zipped his bag up. He looked over at him, quirking an eyebrow. Lance rose his hands in defence, and Keith rolled his eyes, smiling. “Okay, dumb question, no one wants to carry around seventeen hundreds textbooks. But still, it’s gotta be easier than switching books out everyday.”

“If you stack them for what you need in the morning and the afternoon, it makes it easy to switch them out.” He gestured to his locker. One side was empty from the books he’d put into his bag. The other had another stack of books, the ones for his morning classes. Lance peered inside, and Keith felt a little subconscious.

“You need pictures in here,” Lance said, leaning back. Keith closed his locker, shrugging. He turned to walk to his class, and Lance caught up to him. “I’m serious. Here.” He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and took a quick picture. Keith blinked as Lance laughed, showing him the phone. He was smiling, but Keith had wide eyes and a slight frown. “Let me see your phone.”

Keith was hesitant, part of him scared of what Lance was going to do. But he smiled at him earnestly, making a grabbing motion with his hand, and he sighed, digging in his pocket for his phone. He unplugged his headphones before handing it to him. Lance poked at the home screen and scowled. “What?” he said a little defensively. Lance turned it around, a passcode bar blinking at him.

“You need to unlock your phone,” he whined. Keith snorted, shaking his head as he put in his passcode. It unlocked with an audible click, and Lance took his hand back. He peeked over his shoulder as he watched as Lance opened a new text, sending one to an unknown number before saving it in his contacts. He made a show of taking a selfie, and Keith couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. “There! Now you have my number. I’ll send you that picture, and you better have it up in your locker by Friday, or I’m going to print out a million copies and plaster it with them.”

Keith shook his head, taking his phone back. He laughed as he read the text that Lance had sent himself. “Hey there gorgeous? Really?” Lance just nodded, a cocky smile on his face. He looked up at the name he had put. It was Lance followed by three blue hearts. He felt a slight blush creep on his face, and he shook his head, pocketing his phone. Keith opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of the bell.

“Shoot, my theatre teacher is going to kill me if I’m late to class again. I gotta go, but I’ll see you at lunch!” Lance turned and ran down the hall, rounding the corner and narrowly avoiding a group of girls that were walking. Keith saw him give them finger guns before he disappeared from his view. He shook his head with a sigh, still smiling, and walked to his English class. 

\---

“Keith, come on, you have to join us,” Allura said, her tone pleading. “I know Lance has been telling you about this for weeks now.” She leaned in a little closer, blocking her mouth with her hand. “He talks about you a lot actually, and you wouldn’t want to see him sad, now would you?” Keith’s face flushed and he sputtered before sighing in defeat. Allura gave him a triumphant smirk.

She turned to Lance and Hunk, who had been busy crowding around a notebook and writing things down. “Guys! Keith agreed to come tonight!” They both turned towards them, and Lance pumped his fists in the air while Hunk smiled. Keith shook his head, feeling himself smile at their excitement. He couldn’t believe he’d let himself agree to go to a sleepover. He’d never hear the end of it from Shiro.

“Keith, do you have any food allergies? I was gonna bake some stuff and want to be sure.” Keith walked over, leaning an arm on Hunk’s shoulder as he peered down at the notebook. It was filled with various baked goods and snacks under a column labeled FOOD. There was another labeled MOVIES that had at least fifteen movies underneath it. A third was labeled GAMES that had yet to be filled.

“Nope, I’m good to eat whatever you make,” he said. Allura walked over, pushing Keith to the side and taking the seat next to Hunk. She smiled innocently at him, and he shook his head, walking around the table to take the seat next to Lance. He could see her looking at him, and he gave her a deadpan look before turning his attention back to the conversation Hunk and Lance were having.

“Alright, so I’ll be on food duty, since I’m the only one who can actually cook,” Hunk said. Allura and Lance both tried to argue that they could cook, and Hunk gave them both deadpan looks. “Trust me, you guys can’t cook. I’m sure Lance remembers the time he tried to make us cookies. Or were they hockey pucks, I can’t really remember.” Both Keith and Allura laughed, and Lance pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You have no place to laugh, Allura, remember your cake? You literally couldn’t cut it, and it took smashing it on the ground to break it,” Lance shot back. Allura instantly quieted, narrowing her eyes at Lance. He turned to Keith and said, “You should’ve seen it, not even Hunk could get the knife through it.” Keith’s stomach hurt from laughing, and he wiped at tears that had formed.

“Anyway, I’ll take care of the food. Allura, you’re on movie duty, since you have a million movies at your house. And Lance, you’re on game duty.” Hunk looked over at Lance, giving him a pointed look. “You’re forbidden from bringing Twister.” Lance made a noise of protest, slumping in his chair. Keith looked between them, and Hunk saw his confusion. “Lance isn’t allowed to play Twister with us anymore because he always finds a way to cheat and win.”

“I do not cheat!” Lance protested, slamming his hands on the table in mock anger. Both Hunk and Allura gave him pointed looks, and he slumped against his sefat, pouting again. “I don’t cheat,” he repeated, this time coming out a little like a whine. Keith smirked, looking at him.

“I could see you trying to cheat in Twister.” Lance looked at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. He sputtered something about betrayal and turned away from him. Keith laughed again, knowing Lance wasn’t really mad at him. They’d had conversations like this before over text, so he knew he hadn’t actually said anything to hurt him.

Hunk closed his notebook with a note of finality, dropping it into his bag as he stood. “With that settled, I should get going so I can get everything made. I’ll see you guys at seven.” He ruffled Lance’s hair as he walked by him, and Lance swatted at his hand. Allura and Keith called out a goodbye as Hunk left.

“I guess we’re done for today then,” Allura said. They all stood, shouldering their bags, and waited out into the main hall. “I’ll see you guys later.” Keith nodded and Lance waved as she continued down the hall and out the far doors. Keith and Lance walked to the library.

“I’ll send you Hunk’s address,” Lance said. Keith nodded, and turned to walk through the library doors. Lance grabbed his backpack, pulling him back. Keith stumbled as Lance pulled him, and he glared a little at him. He just smiled back at him. “Thank you for agreeing to come tonight. I know this isn’t your kind of thing.”

Keith could feel his face heat up a little. “It’s no big deal, you guys are my friends after all,” he stammered. He realised it was the first time he’d said that out loud, and it sounded right. He felt warmth in his chest at that thought, and he smiled a little. Both him and Lance turned when he heard Shiro calling his name. “I should get going. I’ll see you tonight.”

Keith turned and walked towards Shiro. “You better not be late, Mullet!” Lance called at him. He turned and laughed, and Lance smiled at him. Keith turned back around and practically ran into Shiro.

“Jeez, could you be anymore of a wall?” Shiro quirked an eyebrow at him before looking at where Lance had been. Keith readjusted his bag, rebalancing himself. He looked up to see Shiro’s face softening a little as Lance walked out the far doors, turning the corner and walking out of view.

“So, what did Lance mean by you better not be late?” Shiro asked. He felt his face warm again, and he scowled at Shiro. He rose his hands in defence. “It’s an honest question. Do you have plans tonight?” Keith could hear the curiosity in his voice, but could also hear a hint of hope in it.

He rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I’m going to a sleepover with Lance, Hunk, and Allura,” he muttered, feeling like a little kid. Shiro wrapped an arm around his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Keith shoved him off with a huff, and heard Shiro chuckle.

“Aw, my baby brother has finally made some friends,” he said. Keith tried to scowl, but it didn’t last long, only a few seconds. He knew Shiro wasn’t teasing him. He already knew about the whole Lotor incident and about the club he was in, and Keith had a sneaking suspicion he was hoping he’d befriend them.

“Yeah, yeah. Can we go home now? I need to shower and pack some stuff,” Keith said, already starting for the parking lot. Shiro chuckled again, following after him. The late autumn wind hit his face and he shivered, practically running for Shiro’s car. He heard the lock unlock and jumped in, thankful to be out of the wind. He felt his phone go off and pulled it out, seeing Lance’s name flash on the screen. He smiled, opening the text to see Hunk’s address, and promptly passed it along to Shiro once they’d gotten home before heading upstairs to get ready for the night.

\---

To say Hunk’s house was big was an understatement. It wasn’t a mansion by any means, but compared to the apartment he and Shiro lived in, it was huge. He walked up to the doors, pressing the doorbell and hearing it echo through the house even from outside. He hunched his shoulders against the wind as he waited, and was met with a blast of warm air as the door opened.

“Welcome to Casa de Hunk, Keith!” Lance said, standing in the doorway. He pushed the door completely open and swept an arm to the side. Keith rolled his eyes as he walked in. The inside was just a big as the outside. They stood in an entry hall of sorts, open doors leading to the rest of the house. To one side was the dining room, with plates of snacks and drinks already sitting on the table. To the other was the living room, a fireplace going to warm the place.

In front of him was a set of stairs, as well as another hallway leading to another room. Music poured out of the dining room, and he walked into it, taking a quick glance at the food covered table. He saw a short hallway that connected the room to the kitchen, where he heard Hunk and Allura talking, their voices drifting into the main hall. He jumped a little when he felt Lance tug at his coat.

“You’re not really gonna wear this all night, are you?” he asked. Keith dropped his bag to the floor and shrugged off his coat. Lance took it and put it into a closet that Keith hadn’t noticed. “You can put your bag in the room down the hall,” he pointed to the one that was next to the stairs. “That’s where we’ll be tonight.” Keith did just that, kicking his shoes off next to his stuff.

The room was large, a few couches in the middle creating an L shape. There was a TV in one corner and a stereo system in the other. One wall had a fridge and sink, and another was filled with shelves and pictures. There was a hall leading out of the room, and he found himself in the kitchen. Allura sat on the counter and Hunk placed what look to be homemade pizzas on a sheet pain.

“Keith! There you are! We were wondering if you’d gotten lost on the way here!” Allura jumped off the counter and walked over to him, engulfing him in a hug. He stiffened and awkwardly hugged her back, before Hunk walked over, pulling him into a bear hug. He was lifted off the floor as Hunk twisted them around, and he couldn’t help but laugh a little. Hunk set him back down and he took a few steps back.

“I hope you’re okay with pizza. Lance has been texting me all day to make pizza tonight.” Keith nodded, knowing Lance had. He’d tried to convince him to ask Hunk to make pizza tonight. “Good. There’s some snacks on the table, as well as soda, if you want anything while these cook. I’m making cookies later.” There’s was a glint in his eyes when he mentioned them, and he turned to go back to finishing the pizzas.

Allura walked over to him, leaning close. “Hunk makes the best cookies you’ll ever have. Eat one and you’re done,” she whispered loudly. Hunk made a noise of appreciation and Allura giggled. “Come on, I challenge you to a game of Mario Kart.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the room with their stuff. He heard Hunk tell him good luck, and Allura swung him around to sit on the couch.

“Lance! Get in here! We’re playing Mario Kart!” Lance bounded in, leaping over the back of a couch and nearly falling over in his excitement. Keith and Allura both laughed, and she made a show of sitting on the couch gracefully. She went about setting up the game, handing them both controllers. Keith resituated himself on the couch so he could see the game better.

It was a close game, but Keith ended up winning by three points. Allura came in second, and Lance had come in fifth. He complained about how Keith had taken his character, and that’s the only reason he’d lost. Allura was a good sport about taking second. Hunk walked in, placing several plates of pizza on the coffee table. “Keith, did you actually beat Allura?”

Lance perked up, looking up at Hunk. “He did! Her winning streak is over!” Keith felt his face flush. “Every time we play, Allura kicks our butts and wins. You, my good sir, have knocked the queen down and taken her crown.” He heard Hunk laugh and he settled on the couch next to Allura, who had already taken a few slices of pizza and started eating. Keith reached forward, taking a few for himself, and took a bite.

“Hunk, this is really good!” he praised through a mouthful of food. Hunk gave him a triumphant smile and nodded a thank you to him. Keith smiled, taking another bite. Lance had taken control of the TV and had put on a Disney movie. There was a collective groan, but no one fought for the remote, as Lance had curled his body around it. But Keith didn’t mind, even as he heard the seven dwarves sing.

\---

After the second movie, Hunk had gone to make cookies, and the others had played a few more rounds of ‘Mario Kart’. It was an ever shifting battle, Keith and Allura trading first and second place every round. After the sixth round, Lance threw his hands up. “That’s it! No more ‘Mario Kart’! We’re playing Just Dance!” He grabbed everyone’s controllers before they could start another round and held them hostage while he switched games.

Allura turned to him with a smirk. “You’re so losing at this. Lance has never lost a game in his life.” Lance turned around proudly, a smug look on his face. “If Hunk is the king of cookie, then Lance is the king of dancing, and there’s no beating him.” Keith nodded slowly, looking at Lance. He winked and did a quick hip roll before turning back to the game.

“That’s okay, I don’t really dance anyway,” Keith said shyly. He watched Lance freeze and turn with a gasp. Keith held his hands up in defense, and Lance walked forward, taking his hands and pulling him to his feet. He tried to fight it, but Allura joined in, pushing him from behind. He stumbled for a few steps before Lance shoved a controller in his hands.

“You’re playing.” Keith tried to protest but Lance wasn’t having it. “Nope! You’re here and everyone plays. Even Hunk plays. Isn’t that right Hunk?” he yelled. Hunk walked out of the kitchen, hands covered in oven mitts and flour on his forehead.

“It’s true, Keith. If you’re here, you gotta suffer through our shenanigans too. Even if it is watching Lance cream us in dancing.” Keith sighed in defeat, and Lance grinned triumphantly. “I’m gonna skip the first few rounds ‘cause of the cookies. But I’ll join in once they’re done.” He walked back into the kitchen, and Keith saw Lance turn his attention to Allura.

“Come on Allura, you gotta join us.” Allura groaned half heartedly, taking the control Lance offered her. He practically bounced as he made his way back to his spot. Keith shifted awkwardly as Lance scrolled through the songs. He didn’t really know any of them. They weren’t the kind of music he listened to. He and Allura groaned loudly when Lance chose ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, smirking at them. “Ready to get destroyed?”

Turns out Keith was a better dancer than they‘d thought. He’d gotten almost four and a half stars, while Allura had gotten almost four stars. Of course Lance had gotten a perfect score, if his celebration dance was anything to go by. Allura turned towards him as he watched Lance. “So, you don’t really dance, huh?” She quirked an eyebrow, crossing her arms. Keith’s face flushed and scratched the back of his head.

“I haven’t danced in a while,” he said sheepishly. Allura’s eyes scanned his face and he laughed nervously. “It’s not something I do often.” She looked at him a minute longer before walking over to Lance. He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“Alright Lance, my turn to pick a song.” She plucked the controller, and Lance made an attempt to grab it. Allura stepped back, out of his reach, and he leapt forward. She back-pedalled and ran down the hall, Lance following after. Keith watched as they rounded the corner, only to pop out of the kitchen a few seconds later. Allura had a sizeable lead on Lance, but Lance was gaining on her. She seemed to know this and start sprinting, causing Lance to as well.

He sat on the couch, taking a drink of his now warm and watered down soda as they chased each other. Allura made a detour and ran around the couch, dropping the controller in his lap. She winked before sprinting out of the room. Lance ran in shortly after, and saw the controller in his lap. It was a split second decision, and Keith bounded off the couch, dropping the now empty cup on the floor, Lance close behind him.

“Get back here Mullet!” Lance yelled. Keith grabbed the banister of the stairs and rounded the corner into the living room. He didn’t know if there was an exit there or not but it confused Lance long enough for him put some distance between them. There was a hallway leading out, connecting the one that he’d walked down earlier to get to what he’d dubbed the TV room. He ran in, crouching behind one of the couches.

Lance ran in, breathing heavily. “Keith, come on, be a pal and give it back.” Keith held his breath, counting to ten, before sneaking out from behind the couch, making his way into the kitchen. Somehow Lance hadn’t seen him. He found Allura back on the counter and he walked up to her, dropping the controller in her lap. She jumped a little, but took it, hiding it behind her. Hunk just shook his head, moving cookies from the pan to a cooling rack.

Lance walked in, breathing heavily. “You guys are mean, you know that?” he said, leaning against Keith. Allura smirked at him, and he heard Hunk laugh a little. Keith shook his head, rolling his eyes a little. Lance whined, stomping his foot a little.

“You’re the one who ran after us,” Keith said. Lance pushed him and he stumbled a little to the side, laughing. Keith walked into the dining room, pouring himself a fresh glass of soda, as well as pouring one for Lance. Said boy perked up a little when Keith handed him the cup, practically downing it. He let out a loud burp, and both Allura and Hunk chastised him. Lance just smiled innocently.

They all headed back to the TV room, and Hunk followed a few minutes later with a large mountain of cookies balanced precariously on a plate. Keith had sat this song out, so it was Allura and Lance dancing. She’d chosen ‘Call Me Maybe’ and was doing pretty well at keeping up with Lance. She may have missed to special moves, but she got the others with a ‘Great’ or ‘Perfect’ and ended the song with a little over four stars.

Keith took a cookie from the pile, and could see Hunk watching him expectantly. He took a bite, and it was like nothing he’d tasted before. The chocolate chips were still warm and melty, and they coated his tongue. The buttery dough of the cookie fought through, the saltiness mixing well with the sweet chocolate. The cookie itself was soft and chewy, bringing everything together. Hunk smiled proudly at Keith’s happy hum, and he felt his face flesh a little at the noise.

“I told you these were amazing,” Allura said, plopping down next to him. She popped one in her mouth and closed her eyes, sighing happily. He finished his cookie and grabbed another, and Lance pulled Hunk to his feet. They danced to ‘Super Bass’, and Hunk was evil when he played. He intentionally knocked into Lance to make him stumble and miss the move. Keith laughed, watching them.

They played a few more rounds of Just Dance before going back to watching movies. Keith had found his way to the floor after Lance had decided to stretch himself across the couch, his feet jabbing into his thigh. They decided to watch the Hunger Games trilogy at the executive decision of Allura, who said that since she was president of the club, they had to watch them. Keith hadn’t seen the movies, but he’d read the books, so he knew what happened in them. It did little to keep him from tearing up at the sad parts.

It was halfway through Catching Fire that Keith turned to take the last cookie and saw that both Allura and Hunk had fallen asleep. Lance was nowhere to be found, so he stood, stretching a little. He turned the volume down, and draped a few of the blankets over them before he walked into the main hall. He found Lance standing at the table in the dining room, sipping at his soda.

“Hey,” Keith said, walking over to him. Lance looked up at him and smiled. He broke the cookie he was still holding in half, offering half of it to Lance, who took it with a nod. The various dishes were mostly empty, from the frequent trips to get snacks, and the bottles of soda were all less than half full. He took up a spot next to Lance, turning to look at him. “What’re you doing out here?”

Lance hummed, bobbing his head a little. “I’m just thinking about how amazing my friends are,” he said with a wink. Keith rolled his eyes, smiling. It was quiet for a moment, a comfortable silence settling for just a second before Lance spoke again. “I’m really glad you came tonight. You really fit in.” His voice was softer than it had been before.

Keith knew his face flushed, could tell by how hot it felt, by the way that Lance smiled at him. He turned away, hearing him chuckle. They grew quiet again, and this it was Keith whole broke the silence. “Thank you, for not leaving me alone when I told you to that day.” He could hear the guilt in his voice, as well as feel it in his chest. When Lance didn’t respond, he thought maybe he shouldn’t have said anything, and turned to apologize, only to find Lance smiling softly at him.

“Come on, let’s go sit in the living room.” Lance took Keith’s hand and pulled him with him. Keith let himself be pulled, and sat on the couch, Lance sitting close next to him. “How did you get wrapped up with Lotor?” He said it in a way that Keith knew he could change the subject if he wanted. But something inside him didn’t want to. Something told him that he should tell Lance, that he could trust him.

“He came to sit with me at lunch that day. Said he’d seen us fighting.” Keith was quiet for a second. “Said he knew what it was like to not belong to a group.” His voice was soft, barely audible. He looked at his hands, fidgeting with the hem of his gloves. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Lance. Didn’t want to see the emotions that were always so clear in his eyes. He jumped a little when one of his hands took Keith’s gloved one. He chanced looking up at him.

“He’s manipulative, evil. He plays on your emotions, and gets violent when he doesn’t get what he wants.” There was anger in Lance’s voice, and he took a breath to calm himself down. “Allura heard me thank her a thousand times for getting you away from him.” He squeezed Keith’s hand a little, and he squeezed back. “I’m glad you’re here with us.”

“I am too. You guys are so amazing, and I’m so sorry I said those things that day.” He felt the sting of tears, the weight of guilt in his chest. He was truly sorry. If it hadn’t been for Allura, he didn’t know where he’d be right now. He didn’t what he’d be doing. He didn’t know what Shiro would think of him. He wouldn’t have the friends he did.

“Hey, no crying, this is a fun night,” Lance said, a hand swiping under one of his eyes. Keith laughed a little, scrubbing at his eyes. “Don’t do that, you’re gonna give yourself bags,” Lance chastised, a smile on his face. Keith rolled his eyes, making a show of rubbing his other eye, and instantly regretted it as he had to blink a few more times to be able to see out of it.

“So, Lance, how come you never talk about theatre?” Keith asked. Lance smiled sheepishly at him, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. Neither of them seemed to mind that they were still holding hands. Keith liked it, the feeling of his soft hand in his.

“I don’t know, most people don’t seem to care about theatre, so I don’t ever say anything.” He seemed shy, and again Keith is hit with the duality of Lance. One minute he can be loud and cocky, another he can be angry and serious, and then sometimes he’s like this, shy, hesitant, vulnerable. Keith didn’t think that was all there was to him.

“Well, you can talk to me about it. I might not understand it, but I’d be willing to listen.” Keith saw Lance’s eyes light up, his smile going wide. He jumped into talking about the play they were working on, about he he’d gotten the lead role, and how their show was the weekend before finals. He trailed off at that, biting his lip at he looked at Keith. “I’ll be there cheering you on,” he said, knowing that Lance was asking him to go without asking him to go.

Lance launched himself at him, wrapping him in a hug, effectively knocking them over onto the couch. They both started laughing, and Keith looked up at him. They were closer, closer than he’d thought they were. Lance’s eyes sparkled with happiness, and it was contagious. Keith couldn’t help the smile he had, his lips turning up softly.

“So, Mullet, what about you and dancing?” Lance said quietly. Keith shook his head, pushing Lance off of him. Lance laughed as he sat back against the couch. He figured that if Lance had told him about theatre that he could tell him about dancing. So he did. About how he’d started when he was little and had loved it. About how after his parents had died it had taken Shiro’s insistent pleas for him to stay in it. About how he didn’t have a lot of time for it anymore now that school had gotten hard.

“I actually have a competition coming up, if you want to go,” Keith said, doing his best to keep his voice even. Lance nodded earnestly, saying he would 100% be there to cheer him on. “Maybe I can show you a few moves,” he said with a smirk, and Lance feigned hurt, playfully slapping his arm. Keith caught his hand, and looked up at him, his smirk turning to a smile.

They sat like that, Keith holding Lance’s hand while Lance sat close to him, and talked about Keith’s old school, about Lance’s family, about their classes, until neither boy could keep their eyes open. Lance was the first to fall asleep, curling into Keith’s side. Keith smiled, pulling a throw blanket from the back of the couch over them and closing his eyes, leaning his head against Lance’s as he fell asleep.

\---

He woke up to sun streaming in and hitting his face and the smell of bacon frying. His neck was a little stiff from how he’d slept, but when he looked down, he found that Lance was still asleep, having moved so that he was laying on Keith’s lap. They were still holding hands, and Keith smiled. He slowly and carefully extracted himself from the couch, placing a pillow under Lance’s head, and walked to the kitchen.

Hunk stood at the stove cooking while Allura did the dishes from the previous night. He walked over to help her, and she jumped a little when he took a wet plate from her. “Good morning sleeping beauty. I see the TV room was to lowly for you to sleep in.” Keith shook his head, placing the plate in the drying rack. Allura moved over so he could grab the dishes she was cleaning.

“No, Lance and I fell asleep talking last night. We were only in the living room cause we didn’t want to wake you up.” He heard Hunk laugh a little, and looked over at Allura, who had stopped cleaning to smile at him. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing.” She turned to look at Hunk, who glanced over at her and rolled his eyes, sliding bacon onto a paper towel covered plate. The interaction was confusing for him, but he didn’t have long to dwell on it. Allura flicked water at him and he jumped, blinking at her. “Come on. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can eat.”

Turns out the incentive of food was a good one. They got done cleaning just as Hunk finished cooking. There was a plate of pancakes, a plate of bacon, and a bowl of eggs lining the counter. Hunk pointed to a cupboard and told Keith to grab four glasses and four plates, and Allura went to the fridge, pulling out a jug of orange juice and a jug of apple juice. By the time everything was done, Keith’s stomach started to growl.

They brought everything to the table, and Keith walked into the living room to wake Lance up. He groaned and covered his face with the blanket, and it took Keith pulling the blanket off the couch and Hunk physically picking Lance up to get him to wake up. “Hunk, put me down, I’m up,” he whined, scratching at his hair. Keith couldn’t help but smile at him.

It didn’t take long for Lance to wake up. The smell of bacon was enough to get him talking. They sat around the table and passed the dishes around, shovelling food onto their plates, before passing around the jugs of juice. Keith poured himself apple juice and was a little giddy, feeling like he was younger again. They talked and laughed as they ate. Keith and Lance volunteered to clean up since Allura and Hunk had cleaned and cooked already, and that quickly devolved into a water fight.

Keith went to get changed, tying his hair up so the wet ends wouldn’t stick to his skin, and came back down, finding another game of Mario Kart going. Lance glanced over at him as he sat down. “You look good with your hair up,” he said softly. Keith blushed a little, and he glanced at Allura and Hunk, who were looking at each other. Hunk sighed, handing her ten dollars. Keith shook his head, laughing, before stealing Lance’s controller and winning the race for him. Allura called cheating, but he quirked an eyebrow at her, saying there was no cheating in Mario.

It wasn’t long until Keith felt his phone go off, and saw a text from Shiro saying he was there. The four of them walked to the door and hugs were exchanged. Lance lingered a little, saying he’d text Keith later, and Keith nodded as he backed out of the door. He didn’t even make it Shiro’s car before he got a text saying ‘It’s later already.’ He laughed, pocketing it and getting in.

“So, how was the sleepover?” Shiro looked over at him, and Keith knew he was smiling as he got settled. He was sure Shiro already knew how it went, even if he didn’t know all the details. For the first time in a long, long time, Keith had the feeling that he wanted to weekend to go by faster, so he could see his friends again. That thought was what he told Shiro, that lingered through his mind. He realised he really had made some friend. That he had finally found his place.


End file.
